1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to frames for attaching panelling or closures to buildings. Specifically, the present invention relates to frames for installing windows in buildings.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Introduction of standardized framing materials in post-World War II housing construction revolutionized the industry. Standardized framing materials improved fabrication efficiency while heightening structural integrity. Window installation, a previously difficult, time-consuming task, has been made considerably easier due to pre-manufactured, self-aligning frames which can be easily tacked into place and sealed. Window frames, typically metal frames, in addition to performing structural tasks, however, must also exhibit aesthetic properties. To this end, window frames are usually constructed in attractive shapes and colors to satisfy differing consumer tastes.
An unfortunate drawback to standardized framing materials is that they are not always suited for every type of architectural configuration. In some cases, they may actually create an unsightly appearance. As a result, frame manufactures normally provide builders with decorative moldings to mask the deleterious effects created by using standard frames in non-standard environments. The use of such decorative moldings, however, adds to the cost of construction, a problem which the use of standard framing materials was designed to eliminate.
Additionally, decorative moldings are often manufactured from different materials from that of the frames. Consequently, the framing and the decorative moldings weather at different rates. This causes discoloration of the moldings relative to the frames to which they are attached. For these reasons, development of a standardized frame which eliminates the need for moldings would greatly benefit the housing construction industry and, ultimately, homeowners.
A number of references in the patent literature address standardized frames and framing designs. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,663,390, issued Dec. 22, 1953, to Walter R. Dordel, describes a frame for receiving dry wall panelling which includes a U-shaped channel having a long flange and a short flange. The long flange may be fastened to a building structural member. The long flange also includes a dart which creates a non-parallel alignment of one flange to another and operates to wedge panelling into place as it is inserted farther into the channel. The short flange has an inwardly hemmed edge which operates as a retaining tooth.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,755,895, issued Jul. 24, 1956, to Fredrick H. Walterman, describes a frame for receiving dry wall panelling which includes a semi-parabolically-shaped channel with a long, curved flange and a short, straight flange. The curved flange may be fastened to a structural member of a building. The straight flange laps the edge of the dry wall received within the channel, while the curved flange operates to wedge the panel member against the back side of the straight flange.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,505,080, issued Mar. 19, 1985, to Vernon R. Sailor, describes a frame including a panel-receiving, U-shaped channel having a short and a long member which both extend away from the same leg of the channel. The long member extends from the end of the channel leg and may be attached to a building structural member with fasteners. The long member includes a means for attaching a molding. The short member extends from the base of the channel and also includes a means for attaching a molding. The molding snaps onto the short and long member attachment means described above and hides the fasteners used to attach the long member to the building structural member.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,614,067, issued Sep. 30, 1986, to Isamu Matsubara, describes a frame and molding for installing adjacent windows in a building. Matsubara's invention embraces exactly what the present invention proposes to eliminate: The necessity of interposing a molding to bridge an unsightly gap between symmetrically disposed frames employed to install adjacent windows.
None of the above references, taken alone or in any combination, are seen as teaching or suggesting the presently claimed frame.